Overnight rain that dragged on after dawn offered promise that was eventually fulfilled in fine fashion with a Red-throated Pipit that gave a couple of fly-over views on Bill Hill late in the afternoon; earlier, scarcity interest had come in the form of a flurry of 3 new Yellow-browed Warblers at Southwell together with a lingerer at the Obs, a reappearance of the Pallas's Warbler at the Obs and a new Red-necked Grebe in Portland Harbour. The post-dawn rain completely killed overhead passage and it was left to grounded arrivals to provide common migrant entertainment; numbers dropped from yesterday's high but at the Bill Robins again arrived steadily, a sprinkle of new thrushes and crests included 3 Firecrests, whilst 2 Black Redstarts, 2 Snipe and singles of Merlin and Golden Plover were all of note. A lone Balearic Shearwater through off the Bill was the only worthwhile report from the sea.
Perhaps the ultimate fieldworkers bird at Portland: there's never a widely-seen Red-throated Pipit here and as far as we know these are the first photographs ever taken of one on the island (and in Dorset?)...
Obvious arrivals of Scarce Bordered Straw (52 = this year's peak and thinking it'll be our highest ever single night total), Silver Y and DSGrass in the Obs moth-traps last night but not much better than that
One of the most exciting days of autumn - as much for the potential offered by the arrival of so many routine migrants and thoughts of what they might have been carrying with them. New Yellow-browed Warblers showed up at the Bill, Wakeham and Easton but it was the ongoing - literally throughout the day - arrival of the likes of Robins, crests, Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps that kept the few field sloggers going right until last light. There was plenty of other migration action unfolding, particularly overhead where pigeons, Jackdaws and finches streamed through in quantity; the lingering Pallas's Warbler at the Obs was a crowd-puller if hardly a crowd-pleaser and a Serin teased with a few fly-rounds at the Bill. Robins staged the most conspicuous arrival on the ground, with 100 a minimum guesstimate from the Bill where they seemed to be everywhere; Goldcrests, Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs were in good quantity everywhere and other newcomers at the Bill included 16 Redwings, 7 Black Redstarts, 2 Firecrests and a Fieldfare. Overhead passage was again dominated by Wood Pigeons, with 43000 over the Bill and a possibly even larger single flock over Ferrybridge that either dissipated or headed away before it could be properly enumerated; 2180 Jackdaws, 650 Goldfinches, 480 Linnets, and 330 Starlings provided further high totals at the Bill, where 35 Siskins, 6 Bramblings, 4 Redpolls and a Lapwing were of note amongst the lower totals. A party of 13 Little Egrets through off the Bill were an oddity but a single Balearic Shearwater was the only proper seabird of interest there.
A dawn like this was always going to offer plenty of vis mig potential...
...pigeons soon filled the sky but today it was swirling flocks of Jackdaws that were as much a spectacle...
After more than 70 years of fieldwork at Portland any record-breaking event is going to be something fairly special, and so it proved with today's whopping passage of 110000 southbound Wood Pigeons that was such a spectacle that even members of public were asking us what on earth was going on. There looked to be a lot of promise in the day's relative calmness and early cloud cover but by way of grounded arrivals the quality left it until late, with singles of Radde's Warbler and Pallas's Warbler found almost simultaneously at Reap Lane and the Obs respectively late in the afternoon; earlier, another Hawfinch made a typically blink and you miss it visit to Avalanche Road, 2 Yellow-browed Warblers and a Dartford Warbler were at Thumb Lane and a Merlin and a Firecrest at the Bill. With the ground disappointingly quiet for more routine arrivals there was plenty of attention given to events overhead where, in addition to the pigeons, 570 Goldfinches, 520 Linnets, 420 Jackdaws, 400 Chaffinches, 350 Meadow Pipits, 110 Starlings, 90 Pied Wagtails, 60 Skylarks, 29 Siskins, 20 Swallows, 12 Cormorants, 11 Redwings, 10 Reed Buntings, 8 Bramblings, 7 Greenfinches, a Golden Plover and a Redpoll were amongst the movers over the Bill. On a shearwater-free seawatch, 250 Mediterranean Gulls, 5 Brent Geese and 2 Arctic Skuas were as good as it got off the Bill.
Migrant moth nos at the Obs picked up a little overnight and incl the first Cosmopolitan of the year; yet another Marbled Fern nitidalis (6th of the month) also of note
Another vismig day, with heavy cloud cover that rolled in right after dawn dropping a substantial passage to the sort of height where it could be readily appreciated. Wood Pigeons topped the tally over the Bill where c9000 passed through, with a peculiarity being flocks still moving well into the afternoon; 1080 Linnets, 880 Goldfinches, 180 Meadow Pipits, 140 Starlings and 75 Chaffinches made up the bulk of the rest of the numbers, with the paltry totals of just 5 Siskins, 3 Reed Buntings, 2 Bramblings and a Redpoll indicating that it was numbers rather than variety that were to the fore. In a brisk westerly it was particularly uninspiring on the ground: single Yellow-browed Warblers were either side of Southwell and lingering odds and sods at the Bill included 2 Firecrests, a Merlin and a Whinchat but the general feel was for new arrivals being few and far between. Three Balearic Shearwaters and an Arctic Skua passed by on the sea the Bill.
There was some exciting news today of the first hit on our MOTUS receiver which, very pertinently considering events this month, involved a Yellow-browed Warbler. Due to various logistical difficulties we don't yet know the bird's full history but the gist of things is that it was first tagged in the Amsterdam area of The Netherlands early in the month; it remained in that vicinity for a few days before moving southwest where it was logged passing several receivers in the Rotterdam area. The logging over the Obs was at 21:15 on 13th - fuller details of this birds movements once we can interrogate the system more fully tomorrow:
Back to today and, as has become the case so often at this time of year (...it didn't always used to be like this), the most impressive feature of the day was the multitude of pigeons overhead - often in multi-layered flocks like they are here:
One thing that was quite conspicuous when the flocks were low enough to be able to properly scrutinize them was the apparent proportion of Stock Doves involved in the passage:
Today had an at times lovely feel to it, with heavily overcast skies and what little breeze there was dropping away to nothing as the morning wore on; heavy rain lurked only a little way out in the Channel for the duration but only made it ashore once during the afternoon. Given the conditions, a strong overhead passage was the day's surprise package at the Bill, with 1380 Linnets easily their highest count of the season to date; 830 Wood Pigeons, 780 Goldfinches, 470 Meadow Pipits, 290 Chaffinches, 195 Starlings, 118 Siskins, 110 Pied Wagtails, 60 Swallows, 27 Skylarks, 9 Greenfinches, 5 Reed Buntings and a Brambling were among the other totals there. The Southwell area accounted for the best of the quality on the ground, with 3 Yellow-browed Warblers, 3 Ring Ouzels, a Cetti's Warbler, a Dartford Warbler and a late Yellow Wagtail scattered about; the Bill chipped in with 4 Firecrests, a Merlin and a Black Redstart among a varied selection of late October regulars, whilst a wing-barred warbler considered not to be a Yellow-browed Warbler was an intriguing if unfortunately barely more than subliminal sighting at Easton. Yesterday's barren seascape was replaced by an offshore vista of wall to wall Mediterranean Gulls: a good 500 were a constant presence off the Bill, where 9 Balearic Shearwaters, 4 Sandwich Terns and a Great Skua also passed by. The Ferrybridge Brent Goose flock remained at around the 400 mark, with not a single one of them a juvenile.
What a damp squib Storm Ashley was: talked up to be something akin to a Michael Fish-esque hurricane, in reality it struggled to get to gale force in this part of the world and had nothing but a negative influence on the quality of the birding. Seawatching at the Bill was akin to watching paint dry, with 55 Kittiwakes and 7 Balearic Shearwaters hardly qualifying as rewards amongst the steady trickle of Gannets; a likely Sabines Gull through off Church Ope and shortly afterwards the Bill would have been a nice highlight but seemingly escaped being fully clinched from either watchpoint. Very little effort was made on the land, with 3 Redwings and a Firecrest at the Obs the only reports worth a mention.
A day that could easily have gone either way: another dose of overnight rain might have dropped one of the falls of the autumn or, alternatively, stopped everything moving - needless to say we drew the short straw. That wasn't to saw it was entirely dead, with the likes of a Dartford Warbler, a Yellow-browed Warbler and a Hawfinch at Avalanche Road, 2 Yellow-browed Warblers and a Black Redstart at Thumb Lane, another Yellow-browed Warbler at Southwell School, a Short-eared Owl at Godnor and a Firecrest at the Bill available to provide some entertainment. However, commoner grounded arrivals were very sparsely spread and included nothing in quantity beyond Chiffchaffs aplenty in the leafy trees around the centre of the island. It remained busier overhead although still far less busy than might have been expected under sunny skies, with 280 Meadow Pipits, 260 Goldfinches, 160 Wood Pigeons, 140 Linnets, 100 Swallows, 90 Pied Wagtails and 22 Siskins providing the numbers over the Bill. Mediterranean Gulls continued to feature strongly, with 300 off the Bill where a lone Great Skua also passed by.
Very lucky when this Hawfinch perched briefly at the Hump on Portland this morning. Not a bird we often see down here. pic.twitter.com/OjRVrT2ILL
A very late Garden Warbler at Thumb Lane Portland, 2 Yellow-browed Warblers here too @portlandbirdobs.bsky.social @orioleglen66.bsky.social @garyboiler.bsky.social #ukbirding 🪶
Today's long and varied list might give the impression of it being a bit of a ripper of day but in reality it was a day of multiple frustrations, with few of the scarcer migrants being appreciated by a wide audience. The first Pallas's Warbler of the autumn that showed up at Avalanche Road vanished just as quickly as it had been glimpsed, a Common Rosefinch passed straight through overhead at the Bill and none of the day's 4 Yellow-browed Warblers proved easy to pin down. Under mainly clear skies visible passage accounted for the bulk of the day's numbers, with 6000 Wood Pigeons, 710 Linnets, 355 Jackdaws, 200 Meadow Pipits, 180 Goldfinches, 170 Chaffinches, 110 Pied Wagtails, 53 Siskins, 31 Skylarks and an assortment of lower totals including a single Woodlark through over the Bill. On the ground, a typical October miscellany included 3 Ring Ouzels at Penn's Weare and singles of Merlin, Black Redstart and Firecrest at the Bill, with a noticeably arrival of Wrens and late singles of Whinchat, Reed Warbler and Garden Warbler also of note there; commoner migrants weren't well-reported from the centre of the island but arrivals of 25 each of Blackcap and Chiffchaff at the Bill suggested there would have been plenty to have got amongst in the better quality cover elsewhere. Mediterranean Gulls continued to dominate off the Bill where 920 headed west, presumably having left roost in Weymouth Bay; 90 Common Gulls, 2 Arctic Skuas, a Balearic Shearwater and a Yellow-legged Gull also passed by there.
Not such good overnight mothing conditions at the Obs but still a fair number of migrants on the wing incl a Toadflax Pearl catalaunalis - from underneath you can see how the previous vernacular, Spanish Dot, was quite appropriate.
Seeing the back of the last few day's rain and gloomy skies perked up spirits today and did no harm to the quality and quantity of migrants on offer around and about. The star turn was put in by the second Radde's Warbler in less than a week - this one turned up in a mist-net in the Crown Estate Field - but Yellow-browed Warblers at the Obs, Thumb Lane and Avalanche Road, the continuing Hen Harrier at the Bill and 2 Dartford Warblers and singles of Caspian Gull and Cetti's Warbler also at the Bill provided a nice bit of variety to tap into. The conditions were rather too fair for a large arrival on the ground but that was more than compensated for by diurnal migrants getting going again overhead, where 715 Wood Pigeons, 420 Meadow Pipits, 330 Goldfinches, 260 Linnets, 160 Chaffinches, 136 Starlings, 75 Pied Wagtails, 50 Swallows, 50 Skylarks, 11 Redwings, 10 Siskins, 2 Bramblings and a Redpoll were amongst the movers over the Bill. Some good patches of Chiffchaffs were still in evidence around the centre of the island but, overall, it was variety rather than numbers that impressed on the ground: seasonable migrants were all represented, with 15 Goldcrests, 11 Reed Buntings, 4 Black Redstarts, a Merlin, a Firecrest and late singles of Yellow Wagtail, Whinchat and Reed Warbler all of note at the Bill. Offshore, 200 Mediterranean Gulls lingered off the Bill where 2 Arctic Skuas and a Balearic Shearwater passed by.
The most varied migrant moth catch of the week at the Obs last night incl a Yellow-underwing Pearl gilvata; most totals a little down but still incl 32 vitrealis, 29 Scarce Bordered Straw, 3 Gem, 2 White-speck & 1 Vestal. Another Marbled Fern nitidalis on the Obs lounge windows after dark
With trench foot becoming an increasingly likely affliction for fieldworkers to contend with, another overnight bucketload of rain wasn't welcome; however, on this occasion it did at least drop a little flurry of seasonable fare in the form of Redwings and Goldcrests - totals of 60 and 15 respectively were logged at the Bill with plenty more of each around the centre of the island. For once, Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps weren't anywhere near as well represented as their season of plenty begins to fizzle out, but new Blackbirds, Wrens and Robins were relatively numerous everywhere and further interest at the Bill included 2 Ring Ouzels, 2 Black Redstarts and singles of Mistle Thrush and Fieldfare (both firsts for the autumn), Merlin, Tree Pipit, Yellow Wagtail and Yellow-browed Warbler (a lingerer); further Yellow-browed Warblers were at the Mermaid and the Borstal Park. It was rather too murky for a strong overhead passage to develop but 125 Chaffinches was a worthwhile total over the Bill, where 130 Kittiwakes, 3 Arctic Skuas and a Balearic Shearwater passed by on the sea. Ferrybridge seems to have escaped close attention just lately, so counts of 295 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, a Pale-bellied Brent and a Black-tailed Godwit along with the regular waders were useful.
Still not really getting the feel for migrant moths having come too far: another good catch last night at the Obs but all quite routine incl 65 vitrealis, 30 Scarce Bordered Straw, 3 Gem, 1 Vestal.
After a spell of half-decent passage we seem to have slipped out of the groove over the last couple of days, with overnight rain and murky skies at dawn today not dropping the arrival of thrushes that could so easily have been in the offing. In fact the conditions dropped very little of consequence save for a new Yellow-browed Warbler at Culverwell; whether the additional Yellow-broweds clocked at Avalanche Road and Thumb Lane were also new arrivals or emerging lingerers remains to be seen. What small arrival of thrushes there was consisted of 28 Redwings at Thumb Lane and another dozen at the Bill; Chiffchaff numbers seemed to have fallen away everywhere and there was precious little else uncovered on the ground bar a Great Spotted Woodpecker at Avalanche and the lingering singles of Hen Harrier at the Bill and Black Redstart at Thumb Lane. Overhead passage was stronger, with 810 Linnets 312 Chaffinches, 150 Goldfinches and 69 Siskins making up the bulk of the numbers over the Bill; singles of Great White Egret, Little Egret, Lapwing, Snipe and Brambling were among the lower totals there. Singles of Balearic Shearwater and Arctic Skua passed by off the Bill along with 600 auks and 400 Mediterranean Gulls.
Very big catch of presumably fairly short-distance migrant arrivals in the Obs moth-traps last night incl 88 Olive-tree Pearls vitrealis = their highest ever Portland total; 205 ferrugalis & 31 Scarce Bordered Straw = their highest totals this year; 3 Vestals & 1 Gem the only minor scarcities.
A day that didn't really deliver on the promise that overnight rain, a diminishing breeze and the arrival of sudden mildness had provided. Yellow-browed Warblers at Thumb Lane and Avalanche were presumably new arrivals, the Hen Harrier at the Bill continued to entertain and odds and ends like Merlin, Snipe, Woodlark, Whinchat and Dartford Warbler at the Bill and single Black Redstarts at Thumb Lane and Shepherds Croft were of interest but it otherwise proved hard to get beyond standard mid-October fare on the ground or overhead: good patches of Chiffchaffs, Robins and the like were on offer here and there on the ground, a few new Blackbirds and Song Thrushes were in evidence and routine Meadow Pipits, finches and the like trickled through overhead. With the exception of 200 Mediterranean Gulls, 31 Common Scoter and a Red-throated Diver the sea too was pretty bereft of interest.
Something of nothing today: the Radde's Warbler remained at Wakeham although this wasn't established until well into the afternoon after most of its prospective viewers had departed; the lingering Hen Harrier at the Bill was more widely-appreciated but the only likely new arrival of interest was a Yellow-browed Warbler at Wakeham. Wood Pigeons were again on the move overhead in some quantity, with 4390 departing over the Bill where 270 Jackdaws, 150 Swallows and 70 Chaffinches made up the bulk of the other visible passage. On the ground Chiffchaffs continued to arrive in fair numbers including 60 at the Bill and a good spread involving plenty of higher totals elsewhere; most other seasonable fare - with the exceptions of thrushes - was represented, although interest didn't really get beyond the level of 5 Firecrests, singles of Merlin, Great Spotted Woodpecker and Black Redstart, and a party of 8 Long-tailed Tits getting all the way out to Culverwell that were most probably of local rather than more distant origin. In a gentle northerly anything from the sea was a bonus, so 575 Mediterranean Gulls, 240 Kittiwakes, 3 Teal and 2 Brent Geese, a Sooty Shearwater and an Arctic Skua through or lingering was a fair return from the Bill.
The close proximity at dawn of a wodge of rain running along the Channel bore enticing similarities to the weather make up a couple of days ago but there the parallels with that day ended, since it was quickly apparent that migrants weren't dropped in quantity today. However, that disappointment was more than made up for by the discovery at Wakeham of the autumn's first Radde's Warbler, together with 2 or more Yellow-browed Warblers at Southwell and the continuing presence of the Hen Harrier at the Bill. An early flurry of 72 Redwings and plenty of new Robins provided the bulk of the common migrant interest at the Bill; Chiffchaffs - perhaps mainly lingerers? - were still present in quantity throughout the middle of the island, but singles of Ring Ouzel at Avalanche and Grasshopper Warbler at the Bill were as good as it got by way of further variety on the ground. Overhead passage was also less than impressive: relatively small numbers of Wood Pigeons, Skylarks, Swallows and Linnets trickled over at the Bill and 3 each of Brambling and Siskin, and a lone Yellow Wagtail were the only oddities in their midst. Four each of Balearic Shearwater, Brent Goose and Arctic Skua, and a lone Sandwich Tern passed by on the sea at the Bill.
Another day of lovely birding conditions and, although not quite as good as yesterday for numbers, certainly packed with bags of variety both on the ground and overhead. Chiffchaffs fell back to about the 100 level at the Bill where Blackcaps only managed half that total, but it was variety that was to the fore with 3 more Yellow-browed Warblers and singles of Hen Harrier, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Cetti's Warbler and Dartford Warbler there and 2 Ring Ouzel, a Black Redstart and another Yellow-browed Warbler (the latter at Verne Common) available further up-island. Overhead passage included good early showings of Wood Pigeons and Jackdaws including 2880 and 265 respectively over the Bill and more from other watchpoints; further Bill totals included 650 Meadow Pipits, 205 Pied Wagtails, 200 Swallows, 125 Chaffinches, 50 House Martins, 25 Stock Doves, 22 Starlings, 7 Bramblings, 3 Redpolls, a Barnacle Goose and a Golden Plover. The sea wasn't entirely outdone, with 1500 auks, 300 Mediterranean Gulls, 54 Common Scoter, 20 Black-headed Gulls, 2 Great Northern Divers and singles of Brent Goose, Teal, Arctic Skua and a likely Caspian Gull through off the Bill.
Our sound recorder was running at the time the bird flew right over Obs and captured the moment that it calls loudly and then Joe, who was in the adjacent hut fields, shouts equally loudly - despite this it was missed by everyone on the Obs patio!
Ring-tail Hen Harrier top fields seen from Sweet Hill campsite couple of mins ago @portlandbirdobs.bsky.social
Another good ringing day at the Bill: total of 108 between the Obs, Crown Estate Field and Culverwell included 2 more Yellow-browed Warblers and the first Dartford Warbler of the year; 65 CCs made up the bulk of the numbers with a late Tree Pipit among the lower totals
Quieter mothing at the Obs in cooler conditions overnight although a Figure of Eight a good record for here (fewer than 10 island records); Mallow also a first for the year
A whopper of a fall today precipitated by a perfectly-placed oblique - northwest to southeast - weather front lying so close to Portland at dawn that mizzly damp was in the air for the first hour of daylight. For several hours migrants streamed in off the sea into the waft of a northerly breeze, with newcomers still evident in smaller numbers way into the afternoon; Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps were overwhelmingly dominant at the Bill, with both numbering up towards 300 (had coverage been better during the peak of the movement this estimate may well have been found to be wanting), whilst 4 Yellow-browed Warblers, 2 Grasshopper Warblers and singles of Greylag Goose, Merlin, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Woodlark, Ring Ouzel, Dartford Warbler, Firecrest and Brambling provided scarcity interest there and some overhead passage included the usual suspects in relatively small numbers along with the first 230 departing Wood Pigeons of the season and some afternoon southbound passage of a few dozen Lesser Black-backed Gulls. The centre of the island was initially quiet but by afternoon discoveries there had included 4 Firecrests, 3 Yellow-browed Warblers and singles of Hobby and Black Redstart.
Very successful ringing day in perfect conditions at the Bill: 197 ringed incl 88 CCs and 80 Bcaps; 3 Yellow-browed Warblers, 2 more late Grasshopper Warblers, a Great Spotted Woodpecker and even a Goldcrest (only the second of the autumn) the best of the rest
Tail-end of the mildish weather before some cooler nights proved to be OK for migrant moths at the Obs last night: 45 Delicates and 4 White-specks their autumn peaks to date; among the residents Radford's Flame Shoulder got to 300 for the first time - nearly 200 in this one 40w actinic trap!
With the remains of Hurricane Kirk just about visible on the far southern horizon it was a considerable surprise that today's weather was so quiet, pleasant and eminently birdable. Maybe with the passage of this weather system in mind migrants weren't exactly making the most of clear skies to pour south but 400 Meadow Pipits, 200 Pied Wagtails, 140 Linnets, 85 Goldfinches, 65 Chaffinches, 32 Skylarks and 18 Siskins were fair little tallies over the Bill, where Swallows for the most part baulked at the sea-crossing and lingered in the low hundreds all afternoon, a single Cattle Egret passed through and, curiously, some Raven movement was evident with 14 heading through high overhead in various directions. With the exception of some good patches of Chiffchaffs - most cover around the centre of the island was dripping with them - grounded totals weren't so impressive: 5 Yellow-browed Warblers and singles of Ring Ouzel, Black Redstart and Jay in the Thumb Lane/Avalanche/Weston Street area and 2 Firecrests and a Grasshopper Warbler at the Bill were nice and there were welcome signs everywhere of a few thrushes and Reed Buntings beginning to show up, but amongst the absentees there wasn't a single report of a Goldcrest anywhere. The light and increasingly offshore breeze didn't favour the sea: more than 150 Mediterranean Gulls were lingering off the Bill but 4 passing Balearic Shearwaters were the only 'proper' seabirds worth a mention there.
Good catch of 88 Swallows boosted the day's ringing total at the Bill to 155 - the highest so far this month; 20 Bcaps and 13 CCs - the former surely being missed in quantity by the fieldworkers - the only other double figure totals; first 2 Redwings of the autumn + Gropper and Reed W also of note..
...weirdest ringing event was the catching at Culverwell of an already-ringed Blue Tit that it turns out has strayed from Ian Dodd's garden at Littlesea, Weymouth (first ringed there in January). Blue Tits ringed here have gone to N Dorset & Hants but we've never before caught one ringed elsewhere
Migrant moth nos plummeted during the last two nights of grotty weather - two nights on one page in the notebook is always a bad sign - but the first Flame Brocade of the autumn nice to see amongst the residents
A day to forget in a hurry, full of the sort of malevolent weather that saw enough sunshine to tempt you to open a mist-net or head out birding only to have to scuttle for cover a few minutes later as yet another biblically heavy cloudburst rolled in off the Channel. Meaningful coverage was well nigh impossible and the only semi-worthwhile reports from the Bill were of singles of Golden Plover, Firecrest and Spotted Flycatcher on the land and a lone Balearic Shearwater through on the sea; elsewhere, a Yellow-legged Gull dropped in at Ferrybridge.
Not an especially easy day for rewarding fieldwork in a blustery southwesterly and with a nasty downpour during the morning soaking those who were too far from cover. The Red-breasted Flycatcher remained at the Obs where, despite remaining in the canopy of the same clump of trees pretty well all day, it proved to be remarkably difficult to get any sort of views of; a new Yellow-browed Warbler also showed up at the Obs, whilst 3 or 4 others popped up from time to time either side of Southwell. Chiffchaffs remained numerous everywhere but migrant interest was otherwise rather limited: a decent passage of 775 Linnets, 370 Meadow Pipits, 105 Goldfinches, 55 Pied Wagtails and 22 Skylarks passed overhead at the Bill, but 2 Firecrests and singles of Merlin, Reed Warbler and Spotted Flycatcher there and a Hobby still lingering over Old Hill were as good as it got for other migrants. Despite the promising-looking conditions the sea did no more than continue to tick over, with 850 auks, 82 Kittiwakes, 13 Balearic Shearwaters, 3 Arctic Skuas and a Sooty Shearwater the best off the Bill.
The Red-breasted Flycatcher might have been a little sod to see but at times it was extremely vocal, with it favouring the simple (and usually incessant when it did get going) 'squeaky gate' call over the more usual rattle - here's a minute or so of it squeaking continually but only four times interspersing a little rattle:
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